How to get to Nuwara Eliya, transportation

Nuwara Eliya is located in the center of the island 160 kilometers from Colombo and Bandaraike International Airport, 75 kilometers from Kandy (Nuwara Eliya on the map). You can get here from other resorts in the country and from the airport by taxi, bus or train.

The following details all the ways to get to Nuwara Eliya:

By plane via Colombo airport

There is no airport near Nuwara Eliya, so rare private jets or air taxis land directly on Lake Gregory in central Sri Lanka. Most tourists get here through the main International Airport of the country Bandaranaike (Colombo), where many flights are operated from all over the world, including direct flights from Russia (Moscow, A/C SriLankan Airlines). However, direct flights are expensive, and the best fares are traditionally offered by Gulf Air, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and AirArabia airlines with transfers at their airports. The same airlines sometimes carry out very profitable sales with departures from the regions (with an additional transfer in Moscow, as a rule), such as from Samara, Kazan, etc. Such sales need to wait, but sometimes you can get a ticket even cheaper than from Moscow.

You can find and book flights to the main international airport of Sri Lanka through the search form. The search is very flexible, and allows you to find flights on different dates, with or without transfers, both ways or one, etc.:

ЦЕНА	ПЕРЕСАДКИ	АВИАКОМПАНИЯ	ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА	ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ
Купить от 51990 ₽	1 пересадка		27.05.2026	20.07.2026
Купить от 45280 ₽	1 пересадка		24.06.2026	08.07.2026
Купить от 55212 ₽	1 пересадка		07.07.2026	08.07.2026
Купить от 55374 ₽	1 пересадка		28.08.2026	07.09.2026
Купить от 50668 ₽	1 пересадка		03.09.2026	06.10.2026
Купить от 52959 ₽	1 пересадка		14.10.2026	28.10.2026

How to get from the airport to Nuwara Eliya

You can get directly from the airport to Nuwara Eliya only by taxi, tuk-tuk, or use a tourist transfer. You can order a car at the counter inside the arrivals hall at a fixed price (about $ 100) or through the local application PickMe analogue of Uber (from 6800 Rupees,20.48 USD). You can also get out of the terminal and on the street try to hire a tuk-tuk for 10000 rupees after haggling. But a 6-8 hour trip by tuk-tuk will not be very comfortable, it is better to overpay a little for the car.

You can also book a tourist transfer to Nuwara Eliya in advance, which can be done through the search form from Kiwitaxi below, or on the website intui.travel. In this case, the driver of the car will meet you at the airport of arrival with a sign, and take you to the desired hotel in Nuwara Eliya. Payment is made online, Russian-language support is present. The trip is paid per car, not per person:

If you cannot afford a taxi or tourist transfer, you can get to Nuwara Eliya much more budget by bus or train, but you will have to change through Colombo.

First you need to drive from the airport to the center of Colombo to Pettah district, where there is a bus and railway station. This can be done by tuk-tuk or taxi for 1100 and 1500 rupees respectively, or by bus for only 100 rupees. Read more how to get from Colombo airport here...

When you get to the bus station or railway station, transfer to the train or bus, as written below:

🚆 By train

There is no railway station in Nuwara Eliya, but just a 10-minute drive away is NanuOya station, which is located on one of the most scenic railway routes in the world-the Colombo-Badulla line (railway station on the map). It passes between beautiful hills and mountains, sheltered by tea plantations. Especially for tourists in the first class there are observation cars with large windows( Observation Deck), we recommend going there. The most beautiful section of the route starts after Kandy.

From the railway station to the center can be reached by bus number 715 for 30 rupees, or by tuk-tuk for 500. To find a bus, just walk 100 meters from the railway station to the main road, and immediately see the stop. Don't believe tuk-tuk drivers who will say there is no bus or it will only be a few hours later. In fact, there are many buses to Nuwara Eliya, and if there is no number 715, you can take any other passing one.

• Trains from Colombo run four to five times a day, cost 500 rupees in third class, 700 in second, and go up to 1500 for the first. The journey is 7 hours. Sent to 05:55, 07:10, 08:30 , 09:45 and 20:00 (night, in the first class there are beds).
• Trains from Kandy run three times a day, cost 80 rupees in third class, 150 in second, and go up to 500 for first. The journey takes 5-6 hours. Depart at 03:30, 08:47 and 11:10.

Check train schedules from Colombo and other cities here - https://eservices.railway.gov.lk. Tickets for first class and the observation car must be purchased in advance, usually several weeks in advance. You can do this at https://12go.asia, but sometimes there sales are interrupted, check. If you can not buy a ticket in first class, you can go in second or third, but not at night. Tickets for these classes are sold an hour before departure, and they are always there as they are sold regardless of availability. Therefore, there is a chance to go without a seat standing or sitting on the floor, which in fact is not uncommon.

To get by train directly from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport, you must first take a taxi or bus to the railway station in Colombo – Colombo Fort. How to do this is detailed here - how to get to Colombo. And here is everything in detail about how to use trains in Sri Lanka...

And here is the train schedule to Nuwara Eliya (to Nanu Oya station) available for online booking:

🚌 By bus

There are buses to Nuwara Eliya from Colombo, Kandy, Matara, Ella and other towns along the route. But we would not recommend getting here by bus, because on mountain routes they go very slowly, they are really seasick. It is better to use the bus only for short trips around the province, for example to Ella Or Kandy.

Approximate cost:

• Colombo-Nuwara Eliya-from Rs 240 / 6 hours
• Kandy-Nuwara Eliya-from 120 rupees / 4 hours
• Ella Nuwara Eliya-from 150 rupees / 3 hours

Buses to destinations in Colombo, Kandy, Hatton, Badulla run frequently throughout the day. There are night buses in Colombo. The bus leaves for Ella 5-6 times a day from 6 am to noon. In Galle at 07:50, 09:40 and 19:40.

The bus station is in the city center (Station on the map). From it to most hotels within the center can be reached on foot or by tuk-tuk from 150 rupees.

Transport, how to move around the city

Nuwara Eliya is not a very big city, its center can be bypassed on foot. But the bulk of the attractions are in the surrounding area, with some at a respectful distance. You can see them by hiring a tuk-tuk with a driver for the whole day (from 2500 rupees per day after bargaining), and some attractions can be reached by buses. For more information on how to get to specific attractions, see attractions in Nuwara-eliya. Keep in mind that travel around Nuwara Eliya takes place on serpentine mountain roads, speeds are very low, no more than 20 kilometers per hour, whatever you move.

Unfortunately, group tours in Nuwara Eliya, as in the whole of Sri Lanka, are not developed. There are no travel agencies where you will be offered a list of inexpensive excursions to the most interesting places. You can buy only an individual tour by tuk-tuk or car, and not in travel agencies, they are simply not here, but in hotels.

Also in the city you can rent a bicycle or a low-power motorcycle (Motobike), and it is suitable not only for trips around the city, but also for the immediate vicinity. But unlike beach resorts, rental here is not found at every step, you will have to look. Ask the tuk-tuk drivers at the hotel where you are staying. There are also many billboards around the city with rental offers and phone numbers. The rental price starts from 1500 rupees per day per Motobike (4.52 USD), 500 per bike (1.51 USD).